The Emporia USD 253 Board of Education approved an additional 4 mills of spending authority for the Emporia Recreation Commission during its Wednesday night board meeting.
The funds became necessary after the ERC signed an operating agreement with the city of Emporia that allows the recreation commission to lease the center and ballfields around town from the city, but requires the ERC to take over the maintenance of those properties.
Tom McEvoy, director of the Lee Beran Recreation Center, asked the school district for spending authority of an additional 4 mills. The ERC already has spending authority for 4 mills. Because the ERC was established by the school district, all requests to levy taxes must go through the elected school board.
The request, approved by the ERC board at a special meeting on Monday afternoon, will give the recreation board spending authority over a full 8 mills. McEvoy told the recreation commission board members earlier this week that he saw no reason to use the full 8 mills. Instead, he’d like to see the board use 6.5 mills — the original 4 mills plus an additional 2.5. McEvoy reiterated that point during Wednesday evening’s school board meeting.
The school board’s approval gives the opportunity for an additional $425,000 in the operating budget of the recreation commission. The extra funding will allow for funds to be built up for replacement and repairs to the recreation center.
Following Wednesday’s vote, the final decision will rest with the taxpayers. A legal notice of the school board’s resolution setting the ERC’s mill levy must now be published twice in the Emporia Gazette. After that second publication, set for June 19, a 30-day window opens in which a protest petition could be filed by voters.
Barring a protest petition, the recreation commission anticipates having its fiscal year 2011-12 budget ready for public comment and final adoption on Aug. 2.
Education board members discussed the move, stating that the funds are necessary to maintain a quality recreation center.
“When industry comes to town, one of the first things they are going to look at is the quality of recreation available,” said Mike Helbert, who represents the school board on the recreation board.
“What the public needs to understand is we have to be able to pay for something we really need,” school board member Glen Strickland added.
In other matters, the board discussed the district’s preliminary Adequate Yearly Progress report.
“This year the district will not make Adequate Yearly Progress in reading nor in math based on the preliminary Kansas reading and math assessment data,” a letter to John Heim, superintendent, stated. “Official notification of AYP status for schools and districts will be made to the State Board of Education at their Aug. 10-11 meeting.”
This data will place the district “on watch” for the 2010-11 school year.
“It appears that even though each succeeding class is performing at a higher level based on the initial percent proficient, the percentage of students not proficient changes very little as they move through the system,” the letter stated. “This is more pronounced in math than in reading. Creating additional interventions in math should help this situation.”
According to data provided at the board meeting:
The special education student proficiency rate dropped from 2008-09 in five schools in reading and six schools in math.
Emporia Middle School did not make AYP in math and remains a “school on improvement” for the fifth consecutive year. A corrective action plan was written this year.
Lowther North is now a “school on improvement” for not making AYP in math two consecutive years. An improvement plan was created this year.
Lowther South moves from being “on watch” for not making AYP in reading last year to being a school “on watch” for not making AYP in math this year. A improvement plan was created this year.
Although there are many challenges the district is facing, the district also has experienced a lot of achievement, said Brian Jordan, director of interventions. The district’s achievements are:
Seven of 11 district schools made AYP in reading and math; one of the 11 schools made AYP for reading only and 1 of the 11 schools made AYP for math only.
Performance continues to improve in reading and math in nearly all buildings.
The achievement gap has narrowed in reading and math for nearly all subgroups.
William Allen White Elementary made AYP in both reading and math and is no longer a school “on watch.”
Lowther South seems to have reached AYP in reading in 2010 using Safe Harbor after being on watch for reading in 2009-10.
The longitudinal data by class for both reading and math indicate higher levels of learning at initial testing compared to previous classes.
The ELL proficiency rate improved from 2008-09 in eight schools in reading and 10 schools in math.
Jordan also discussed the district’s academic goals for the 2010-11 school year. The board adopted two strategic goals in August 2005. The objectives set by the Strategic Plan are “100 percent of our students will improve their individual state assessment scores in reading and math each year,” and “100 percent of our students will graduate from high school.”
The academic goals for 2010-11 are:
By June 2011, 75 percent of all students will demonstrate 80 percent mastery of all identified grade level and subject area critical attributes.
By July 2011, seven of the 10 schools will meet Standard of Excellence building-wide criteria on the Kansas reading assessment or achieve at least a 10 percent positive improvement in each performance level and/or by June of 2011 seven of the 10 schools will meet the Excellence Criteria building-wide on the Spring 2011 MAP Reading Assessment.
By July of 2011 seven of the 10 schools will meet Standard of Excellence or achieve at least a 10 percent positive improvement in each performance level and/or by June of 2011 seven of the 10 schools will meet the Excellence Criteria building-wide on the Spring 2011 MAP Math Assessment.
By July of 2011, 100 percent of all students who are two or more years behind their grade level peers will show more than one year’s growth.
In other action, the school board approved:
the consent agenda which included staff appointments; staff resignations; approval of bills, approval of contract renewals with Professional Development Institute for Literacy First trainings for 2010-11; approval of book donations to district libraries from Gerrit and Barbara Bleeker approaching $5,000 worth of library books; approval of science textbook adoption; approval of math textbook adoption; approval of transportation request from Lyon County 4-H group; and approval of request to dispose of surplus property on eBay.
renewal of property and casualty insurance for 2010-11.
ratification of the master contract agreement for 2010-11.
zeepmonk (anonymous) says...
Is the city going to reduce it's mill levy since it no longer has to pay for these repairs?
June 10, 2010 at 4:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
zeepmonk
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
June 11, 2010 at 8:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )